Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers a striking performance profile in Hitman 2, where the data reveals a system that scales dramatically with resolution and settings. This combination ranks 298th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 16.6% of all configurations, a strong showing driven almost entirely by the GPU’s raw power. The RTX 5070 Ti, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is clearly the dominant component, while the six-core i5-9400 with a 4.10 GHz boost clock provides adequate, though not overwhelming, support. The measured frames per second paint a picture of a system that can handle high-refresh 1080p and solid 1440p gaming, but which begins to strain at 4K, especially under the heaviest graphical loads.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 120.5. This indicates the combination can comfortably drive a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor even at the game's most demanding preset.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 52086, which is effectively identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which scores 52085, showing a deltaPct of 0.0%. It is also 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A1000, which scores 50826.

Q: What is the CPU's standing relative to other processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 2305 places it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300, and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134, which scores 2295.

Q: What is the best performance you can get from the Low settings preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 183.1 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded at that resolution, showing that the GPU can handle esports-level performance when visual fidelity is lowered.

Q: Is there a significant difference between 4K High and 4K Ultra performance?

A: Yes, the data shows a substantial gap. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 55.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 40.6 FPS. This 14.9 FPS difference represents a 36.7% drop in performance when moving from High to Ultra at 4K.

Q: How does the combo's rank translate into a percentage of tested systems?

A: With a rank of 298 out of 1795 tested combinations, this hardware pairing performs better than roughly 83.4% of all configurations in the database for Hitman 2. This places it firmly in the upper echelon of tested systems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the undisputed engine of this system's gaming performance. Its specifications are formidable: a 16 GB frame buffer of GDDR7 memory, paired with a 256-bit memory interface, produces a staggering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is critical for Hitman 2, a game with dense, detailed environments that require rapid texture streaming. The data supports this, as the GPU’s average benchmark score of 52086 places it at the 87th percentile of all GPUs, showing it is a top-tier part.

The core clock speeds, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2452 MHz, are the second piece of the puzzle. Combined with 8960 shading units, this allows for massive parallel processing power. The benchmark results show this clearly; the GPU scores 6604 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test and 32974 in Passmark's G3D test, which are indicators of its DirectX 12 and general 3D rendering muscle. This raw compute capability is what allows the system to push high frame rates at 1440p, but its 300 W TDP and 16-pin power connector also signal that it is a high-power component that demands a robust power supply, suggested at 700 W.

In the context of Hitman 2, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the frame rates. At 1440p, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, with the frame rate scaling almost linearly with settings, from 79.5 FPS at Ultra to 183.1 FPS at Low. The CPU is less of a bottleneck at this resolution, allowing the RTX 5070 Ti to stretch its legs. However, the 4K results suggest the GPU is also the first component to hit its limits, as even at High settings, it only manages an average of 55.5 FPS, indicating that the 16 GB of VRAM and the 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are enough to feed the rendering pipeline, but the sheer pixel count at 3840x2160 proves to be a significant challenge for the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the system is remarkably fast, with an average of 216 FPS on Low settings and 163.8 FPS on High. Moving to 2560x1440, these numbers drop to 183.1 FPS and 106.1 FPS for the same presets, respectively. This represents a 15.2% reduction in performance for Low and a 35.2% reduction for High when moving from 1080p to 1440p. This scaling is expected, as the GPU must render more pixels, but the system remains highly playable even at the higher resolution.

The jump to 3840x2160 is where the system begins to show significant strain. At 4K, the High preset averages 55.5 FPS, a 47.7% drop from the 106.1 FPS at 1440p, and a 66.1% drop from the 163.8 FPS at 1080p. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 40.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold considered ideal for smooth gameplay. This steep decline between 1440p and 4K indicates that the limiting component shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution climbs. The six-core i5-9400, with its 9 MB of shared L3 cache, is sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the sheer volume of pixel data overwhelms the RTX 5070 Ti.

This pattern is further emphasized by the performance delta between resolutions. The gap between 1440p and 4K at the Ultra preset is 38.9 FPS (79.5 to 40.6), which is a 48.9% reduction. In contrast, the gap between 1080p and 1440p at the same preset is only 41 FPS (120.5 to 79.5), a 34.0% reduction. The data suggests that while the CPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU's rendering capabilities are the definitive bottleneck at 4K, with the RTX 5070 Ti struggling to maintain playable frame rates on the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti achieves a rank of 298 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 16.6% of all systems tested, a very strong result that underscores the GPU's dominance. The ranking is primarily a reflection of the RTX 5070 Ti's high average benchmark score of 52086, which puts it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, while not a top-tier part, is still competitive, scoring 2305 on average and sitting at the 50th percentile of all CPUs.

The disparity in component performance is key to understanding this ranking. The GPU is a high-end part, matching the performance of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 exactly, with a deltaPct of 0.0%. The CPU, on the other hand, is a mid-range part, its 2305 average score just 0.2% above the Intel Core i3-10305. This pairing creates a system where the GPU is clearly the star player, and the CPU is just along for the ride. In Hitman 2, this means the system's rank is likely higher than it would be in a more CPU-intensive title, as the game's engine appears to lean heavily on the graphics card.

The data shows this is a "GPU-bound" configuration. Even with a relatively modest CPU, the system can achieve high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p because the RTX 5070 Ti is so powerful. The rank of 298 reflects this, as it outperforms many systems that might have more balanced, but ultimately slower, GPU and CPU pairings. The benchmark results confirm that for this specific game, the GPU's 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 896.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are far more important than the CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads, which are the same number, lacking hyper-threading.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and desired performance level. For a standard 60 FPS gaming experience, the Ultra preset is viable at 1440p, where it averages 79.5 FPS. This provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining smooth gameplay. At 1080p, Ultra is also an excellent choice, delivering an average of 120.5 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The data shows that the system has more than enough power to handle the most demanding preset at these resolutions.

For 4K gaming, the situation is more nuanced. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the 40.6 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS target and may result in a less responsive experience. The High preset is a better choice, averaging 55.5 FPS, which is playable but not perfectly smooth. To achieve a consistently smooth 60 FPS or higher at 4K, the Medium preset is required, which averages 74.3 FPS. This suggests a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and performance at 4K, where users must step down to Medium to unlock the full potential of the display.

The Low preset offers the highest frame rates at all resolutions, with 216 FPS at 1080p, 183.1 FPS at 1440p, and 98.2 FPS at 4K. This preset is best suited for competitive play or for users who prioritize frame rate above all else. However, given the system's performance, it is a waste of the RTX 5070 Ti's capabilities to use Low settings at 1080p or 1440p. The sweet spot for this combination is High at 1440p, which strikes an excellent balance between the game's visual quality and a high average frame rate of 106.1 FPS, ensuring a fluid and immersive experience in the stealth-action gameplay of Hitman 2.